Islamabad:
A judicial magistrate in Islamabad has once again rejected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s request for exemption to participate in the case of a case related to the possession of spirits and illegal weapons and maintained his arrest warrants.
On Monday, Gandapur again failed to appear in the Court of Court Magistrate Mubashir Hassan Chishti despite being called. His lawyers were also absent.
Judge Chishti noted that even after several calls for the case, no one appeared in court.
He awarded a final deadline for Gandapur until Monday 14:30 to register his statement in accordance with section 342 of the criminal case. The court then postponed the case until that time and warned that failure to make a failure would result in the forfeiture of the right to register the declaration.
When the session resumed, Gandapur’s lawyer Raja Zahoor-Ul-Hasan came to the pulpit and filed a request for an exemption from appearance, referring to Gandapur’s commitment to the Senate election.
However, Judge Chishti either asked him to register the 342 declaration or lose the right to do so.
The lawyer gave a commitment that assured that Gandapur would appear during the next hearing. He said seven co-prosecuted had already been acquitted, and a petition for Gandapur’s acquittal was also pending.
The judge noted that KP CM had previously committed to appear in court and register the statement himself and that the date was set according to his own convenience.
The lawyer declared that Peshawar High Court had given bail to Gandapur in all related cases and requested a more date for the 342 declaration to be registered. Judge Chishti asked the lawyer to submit the necessary applications and said he would soon issue an order.
Later, the Court rejected the exception request and maintained arrest warrants and ordered Gandapur being arrested and produced in court. The judge postponed the procedure until July 22 (today).
The case dates back to October 2016, when the Islamabad police claimed to have recovered five Kalashnikov -attack rifle, a gun, six magazines, a bulletproof vest, alcohol and three tear gas shells from a vehicle belonging to the PTI leader outside Bani Gala. The case was registered at Bara Kahu police station.
The same judge on July 19 issued arrest warrant who was not joined, for the Minister of the CP chief and instructed the House Officer (SHO) Station to secure his production in court.
